Under normal circumstances, physicians and healthcare workers could not release someone’s medical information unless authorized by the patient or required by a public health authority. That’s why the first thing your doctor asks new patients to do is to sign is a HIPAA consent form. That allows your doctor the freedom to disclose your health information to others in order to effect treatment.
Such regulations do not apply to team physicians or trainers employed by an organization or franchise. These medical officials are not subject to HIPAA, but to their employer.
“Usually the team physician is not covered by HIPAA as it relates to the team,” said Lynn Sessions, a partner at BakerHostetler and a healthcare privacy law expert for more than 25 years. “That would essentially be within an employment context that the team physician is providing care to the player, so as it relates to the employer that is a different kind of relationship.”
Athletes though, agree to share health information with their employer (even if the athlete visits an independent medical professional) when they sign a contract with a team. The reason we know so much about these athletes’ injuries on any given day is that once the information is provided to the organization through the athlete, or through the team physician, the organization is free to publicize it. Pro sports teams are not covered entities under HIPAA. Rather, they are merely considered employers.